Dungeon Keeper Beryl
by Wordcounter
Summary: Synopsis: What if Beryl had never been corrupted by Metallia? What would have happened? A SM/DK/Record of the Lodoss Wars/Palladium crossover. Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
1. Chapter 1

And here's my addition to the Dungeon Keeper Craze. Dungeon Keeper Kasumi and Happosai will come later.

Date: 110408

Disclaimer: A SM/DK crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.

Synopsis: What if Beryl had never been sent to the Negaverse? What would have happened?

* * *

Dungeon Keeper Beryl

Part 1:

Beryl opened her closed eyes to find herself in a dimly lit cavern. Her finely-tuned mystical senses immediately warned her of the presence of three large sources of mystical energy in the area.

The closest one appeared was just next to her ... a large seven foot tall red-skinned demon clutching a scythe as tall as itself in its hand. It seemed unaware of her, however, and had its back turned towards her.

The second source of mystical energy was weaker compared to the first. Not to mention much, much further away, at least three hundred feet away from her current position. Her refined mystical senses told her that the source must be a spirit or an entity from the astral plane.

Like the first source of mystical energy, there was a faint link to the third source, which Beryl at first thought to be a nexus point of great power except that there weren't any ley lines in the area which left the other possibility - magical artifact.

Drawn to it, she got up from the ground silently not wanting to draw the attention of the powerful-looking creature next to her. She had no desire to fight at this moment with whatever this demonic creature was until she knew where she was and what she was facing.

Silently, she made her way as quietly as she could from the dimly-lit chamber, her supernaturally enhanced reflexes helping her stealthy movements greatly in leaving the chamber undetected. She had no desire to use spells or any form of any supernatural power whatsoever for fear of alerting the denizens of the place she was in to her presence.

Her experience with her fellow Dark Wielders and the war with the formidable Silver Alliance and Metallia's malevolent forces had taught her much ... after all. Memories of the Interregnum flashed through her mind. Love, war, hate, bitterness, defeat and ultimately ... _betrayal_ ...

Endymion ... _why?_

Those were the words that resonated through her very being as memories of her lover's blade plunged straight through her midriff. Though injured, the wounds were not fatal and she would recover within minutes given her powerful regenerative abilities. The wounds to her heart and soul, however, were not so easily fixed.

"_Endymion! It is not safe here! Come follow me! My servants will bear you to safety!" A familiar voice called out._

"_Beryl…" Endymion's voice was soft yet chilling. _

_She was here._

_Slowly, he rose from the ground to face his long lost ... forbidden love._

"_En … dy … mi … on?" the beautiful woman called out hesitatingly as uncertainty crept into her voice._

"_Or should I say your real name and title, Ba'al Rhea, Mistress of the Moon …" he addressed her formally._

"_You have betrayed us to the very forces that we strove to protect mankind from. Not only have you betrayed everything we fought for, you have sealed the doom of mankind as well," he accused._

_The Shadow Queen quickly tried to placate the Prince._

"_But Endymion … everything I did, I did it for us. For the both of us! For the love that we shared! And for my people as well! Causing the deaths of six thousand three hundred and thirty soldiers and civillians in the Third Expedition Foray is hardly something I would consider benevolent." _

_"I understand what you have gone through but the ones involved have already been punished for their crimes," Endymion remained firm._

_"I hardly call exile a sufficient punishment for mass murder, my love. Chief Advisor Rathan and his accomplices are still running free," she pointed out._

_"And you threw in your lot with the Dark Wielders because of that?" Endymion added._

_"No, Endymion. I did so because I had no choice. I was captured by the High King's soldiers. He gave me the choice of serving him or dying right there and then. The thought of never seeing you again terrified me. The High King told me many things ... some of them so contemptible that it helps me wonder about the world we live in today," the woman explained. _

_"And these reasons justify your actions in joining the Dark Wielders in destroying mankind?" Endymion's expression darkened._

_"Hardly. The High King explained that the Dark Wielders were trying to save mankind. There were outside forces involved in the breakdown of relations between the Lunarian Union, Atlantis and Kastuul. He needed more time to identify the culprits and prove their wrongdoing," she added._

_"And you believe that?" Endymion answered scornfully._

_"Yes. The High King of Kastuul ... he has many connections in the Overworld and Underworld. He tried to address the relationship problem between all three nations as much as he could but was unsuccessful each time. Diplomatic relations soured instead, getting worse with each passing day," her explanation came out almost like a plea._

_"And you expect me to believe that?" Endymion remained even more dubious about the situation than ever._

_"Yes. It's all I have," her voice came out almost like a plea._

_"You were many things, Ba'al Rhea. But a fool ... That was something I never expected," the Prince answered sadly._

Endymion had addressed her by _that_ title given to her by the High King. That was not a good sign. He still saw her as an enemy. She had to change his mind and quickly.

_"His ways leave much to be desired but ultimately he wishes to save mankind from damnation," she tried again._

_"Save mankind from damnation? The High King's the one who is more in need of saving from damnation than anyone else," Endymion shot back._

_"He just needed more time to collect evidence. Please believe me, Endymion. When have I ever lied to you? Your people, on the other hand, have done nothing but lie and twist the facts whenever they can," the Shadow Queen explained, her voice turning into a plea._

"_Even so, what you have done would doom mankind beneath the crushing heel of the Dark Wielders for all time," the Prince of Atlantis replied, his voice tinged with sadness and regret. _

_His decision made, he drew his magical weapon, the Sword of Atlantis, from its golden metallic scabbard. Its golden blade began to glow brightly in the darkness of the tower._

_"Forgive me ..." his words were barely a whisper. _

"_It doesn't have to be this way … Endymion. The Dark Wielders have gifted me with their great powers and knowledge as well as everlasting life! I can do the same for you! All they ask for in return is their freedom and Forceria. They don't want the lands of darkness. Come with me! We can build a new kingdom together and rule the lands of darkness happily as king and queen forever and ever! Let us be what we were always meant to be! Endymion … please," the Shadow Queen pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice._

_It broke his heart but Endymion managed to give his soul mate a cold, hard stare that nearly forced her a step back._

"_In another lifetime … perhaps … but for now … humanity cries out in distress … and … its future must be preserved!!!" the Prince of Atlantis readied his magical weapon and drove forward with all his might. _

_In the blink of an eye, he had covered the distance separating his former lover from him._

"_Endymion …" Beryl spoke, her eyes widening in disbelief at the prince's action._

_His aim was true. His purpose firm. In one swift blow, the Prince of Atlantis had plunged his sword straight through the heart of his former lover to come out from the other side of the Shadow Queen's body. Blood spilled to the ground as she wavered unsteadily on her legs beneath the attack._

"_En … dy … mi ….oo….nnn … do … you …truly … desire … to … kill … me … that … much???" she cried, stunned at the actions of her lover._

_Endymion did not answer the question. In actuality, he did not know how to answer it. Without a word, the Prince drew his blade back out from the Shadow Queen, causing her to fall to her knees. Much to his disbelief (and surprise), Beryl's wounds closed rapidly right before his eyes. Apparently, she was neither bluffing nor delusional when she told him that the Dark Wielders had gifted her with their great powers and abilities. Though if that were the case …_

"_You have changed," he replied as he readied his weapon once again._

_Endymion knew he had to act quickly. _

_Despite the Shadow Queen's current inability to attack him at the moment (more from shock and grief than anything else), the situation could change quickly. Beryl had always been the better fighter and mage in their sparring matches, he remembered. Something to do with her ancestry being the daughter of the Archmage of Kastuul herself and a direct descendent of the King of Atlantis himself, he recalled. What was more, he was six years her junior._

_So far, she had only defended herself with the Black Moon Sceptre in her hand but this passive stance from her could not last forever. Not only that, he could feel the presence of not one … but several powerful entities entering the portal. The Dark Wielders must already be on their way back to Forceria._

"_So have you. Why???" came the question, her voice, clearly a mixture of pain and anguish._

_She had risen to her feet but had made no further move to attack nor defend herself from him._

"_The needs of the many outweigh … the needs of the few, Ana-shan …" the Prince of Atlantis replied sadly as tears streamed down from his eyes._

_With all his strength, the Prince drove his magical sword … not into the Shadow Queen's body … but into the ground of the tower._

_Cracks appeared in the floor beneath him and … her._

_Suddenly, without warning, the section of the ground the Shadow Queen was stepping on gave way taking her to the bottom of the chasm._

"_En … dy … mi … oo … nnnn … Why???" came the faint cry again before the chamber he was in was once more shrouded by silence._

"_Ana … forgive me … I swear I will make it up to you somehow … someday …" he whispered before pressing the button in the center of the crystal. There was a blinding flash of light as the Tower of the Black Moon erupted in an ear-splitting explosion, destroying the portal to the Nightlands forever._

_Ana ... forgive me _... he had said.

_Ana-shan _... his term of _endearment _... for her.

Beryl wept silently in her heart as she recalled the painful memory.

Her fingers dug into the ground, leaving claw-like marks as she crept quietly and quickly on all fours to the passage out of the chamber. Behind her, unseen and undetected by her mystical senses, the tall demonic figure's face curled into a wicked grin.

* * *

The Horned Reaper grinned inwardly and outwardly upon feeling the figure behind it stir. Even without turning around, the demonic creature knew of the visitor's movements towards the main chamber. Like all its previous Masters, the woman was drawn to the source of magical power in the Dungeon Keeper's main chamber by its strange and inexplicable allure.

Its life of boredom and being trapped beneath the land was effectively over. Soon it would be free to wreak havoc on the surface world once again. Still it couldn't help but recall the past. Once it was the most powerful servant of a great Dungeon Keeper who had risen to power not too long ago.

The Dungeon Keeper grew great and had taken much of the land. His mighty army won battle after battle becoming stronger in the process until ... the remaining Dungeon Keepers and the King were forced to set aside their differences to deal with the threat posed by his mighty Keeper. The two sides met in battle soon enough with both sides committing all their resources and forces to this battle, knowing that this was a do-or-die situation.

Unfortunately for his Master, Fate had turned her back on him and the combined armies of the enemy Keepers and the King were able to overcome his Master's army at the mountain pass and he fell in the ensuing battle.

The victorious forces of the King and enemy Keepers, having broken his army did not waste anytime. As soon as they were able to, they launched a full-scale assault on his base of operations, thus destroying it and bringing his reign to an end, once and for all.

Unable to slay the Reaper, the remaining Dungeon Keepers and the King's most powerful mages had sealed it in the innermost chamber of his deceased Master's Keep and created a temporary Dungeon Heart to strengthen and maintain the barriers around it with the intention of imprisoning the creature for all time.

But enough with the musing. It was now time for a little fun. The Horned Reaper turned around, bringing its scythe down on top of the visitor. The woman dodged the blow easily and a pulse of power left her hand to hit the creature, sending it flying ... right into the other end of the chamber.

The Horned Reaper hit the wall with tremendous force, rattling the caverns to its very foundations. Stunned, the creature watched with a mixture of surprise and shock as the ground it was on melted beneath its feet, causing the creature to sink into it. It was hot, no doubt about that. An ordinary person would have died in agony from the molten stone but to the Horned Reaper, it was like taking a nice warm bath.

It was about to climb out of the molten pit to engage the woman in mortal combat when it found it couldn't move! Not believing it, the Horned Reaper turned to see the sunken pit around it had assumed a metallic state, molding itself around the Reaper's body, fitting it like a glove. It struggled mightily but was unable to break its metal prison. The woman paused momentarily to look at the Horned Reaper as if to examine her handiwork before leaving for the central chamber, where the Dungeon Heart lay.

Closer and closer she came to it, until she could see the glowing mystic essence of the Dungeon Heart itself. Without wasting anymore time, she drew on the energy of the Dungeon Heart to replenish her depleted mana reserves. Power flowed into her like a rush of falling water and within seconds, her mana reserves had completely filled up, rejuvenating her mind, essence and body.

The mana flow, however, continued to flow into her, inadverdantly enlarging her current mana base much to her surprise until it had effectively doubled in size. Finally, the mana flow slowed, and then stopped although the connection remained open between her and the Dungeon Heart.

"The Dungeon Heart has chosen a new Keeper again," a voice spoke from the wall.

The Dark Wielder turned in the direction of the voice to see the translucent figure of an elderly man phasing through the wall like a ghost.

"I am Lundar, Chief Advisor to the Keeper of the Dungeon Heart. As-" his explanation was interrupted by the loud growl from the other chamber.

"I think you can let Horniculus go now. The Horned Reaper would not be able to attack the Master of the Dungeon Heart," the spirit-like being quickly added.

Beryl left for the chamber in which she left the trapped creature, the spirit following her closely from behind. The Horned Reaper was getting angrier and angrier as it tried to break free of its prison. Unfortunately, its metal prison held it fast, refusing to bend or budge in the slightest no matter how much force or strength that the Horned Reaper could bring down to bear was brought upon it.

"Hey Horny!" the spirit called out cheerfully at the trapped creature.

"Be silent, Spirit!" the Reaper roared in fury.

"I have news for you! We have a new Keeper!" the phantom-like advisor spoke loudly.

The trapped creature stopped struggling and turned to look at the spirit-like Advisor and the woman beside it.

"Release me!" It roared, its booming voice echoed throughout the chamber.

The female Keeper simply studied the creature with a neutral expression before saying, "I think not."

"R-H-RR!" the Horned Reaper shrieked in fury but nothing it did seemed to put even a dent into its strange metal prison.

The spirit-like being finally spoke, "Why don't you release him? Having a Reaper to serve you would be better than one that was angry at you."

"I will release it when it has calmed down. Not before-," she stopped and turned in the direction of the tunnels ahead.

Right before their eyes, the new Dungeon Keeper vanished into thin air.

* * *

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of footsteps grew louder to reveal a party of six orcs led by an ogre marching down the broad tunnels of the Keep.

"The Boss said there was plenty of treasure here. I don't see any," one of the orcs exclaimed.

"I heard many stories about this place. They say t-t-this p-p-place is haunted. Many go in but never come back," another orc spoke while peering around nervously until his eyes fell on the metal encased Reaper.

"Waagh!!! A Reaper! Somebody ... save me! I thought it was only a legend!" the orc ran scampering back the way it came in ... in a state of total panic.

The rest of the orcs, being not very smart or very brave, quickly followed suit.

"Hey! Come back!" the ogre shouted as it quickly chased after his retreating band of orcs.

A few minutes later ...

The sorry band of orcish bandits came back to the chamber, led by a gruff-looking human soldier armed with a large broadsword and a shield strapped to his back.

"And that's the biggest piece of crap I've heard in all my life! A Reaper??!!! That's just an old wife's tale! Alright! Now show me this Reaper of yours!" the human commander in metal armour shouted as they trooped into the chamber nervously.

The orcs looked around for the Reaper but there was no sign of it. In the meantime, the human leader was growing more and more the minute.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of fruitless searching, the human leader had enough.

"Alright! Where is it???!!!" he shouted.

"But it was here a moment ago, covered with metal! I saw it!" the orc protested.

"Pah! All I'm seeing is us missing out on our great big treasure because a whole bunch of too-scared orcs are a-fraid to look around for it! Are you worms or are you orcs?" the human commander spat in derision.

"But Boss ..." the same orc protested.

"Enough! We've been time a-wasting as it is. Burak and Kaltud! I want you two to search the next chamber! Kertak and Momot! You two will search this chamber! The rest of us will search the passage!" he ordered.

The orcs stood hesitantly.

"Well??!!! What are you waiting for???!!!! Get your green ass** moving!" the human commander roared.

Pushed by their commander's orders, the four orcs quickly did as they were told.

They began searching the chamber thoroughly.

Kertak looked around the chamber to see the remains of backpacks, swords and shields, no doubt belonging to adventurers or explorers who had once dared to brave the many dangers of this chamber.

"Momot, I don't like this place! I think something is w-w-w-watching us ..." the orc called Kertak spoke nervously.

"I don't either but the Boss said so! We better look or we get no treasure!" his companion answered just as his foot struck something.

"Hey look! A golden cup! Pass me the sack, Momot!" Kertak spoke and reached to the back to receive a sack in his hand.

"Here goes the first treasure we find, Momot!" he spoke as he dump the golden cup into the sack.

"You found something?" his companion called from the front.

"Yes ... a golden cup. Did you find anything?" Kertak asked and then something occured to him.

His companion was standing in front of him with his back towards him! So how could he pass the sack to him from the back without being seen? Turning once again to the back, he saw no one. Quickly, he threw down the sack like it was burning hot and ran from the chamber in terror.

Momot not knowing that his companion had left continued to look in the dark corners of the chamber. Finally, his efforts were rewarded when he saw a large open chest filled with gold bars and precious stones. Emeralds, rubies, diamonds, quartz and topaz.

"Kertak! I found a treasure chest!" he shouted in joy.

There was no answer.

Puzzled, he looked behind him to see the grinning face of the Horned Reaper staring back at him in amusement.

"Arrgggghhhhh!" Momot fled all the way from the chamber in terror, his screams could be heard clearly down the passageway.

Momot did not stop running until he was outside the chamber only to hit the large solid body of the ogre.

"Alright! What's all the sissy-screaming going on???!!!" the human commander demanded.

"I saw the Reaper! I saw the Reaper!" the orc screamed in fear.

"Reaper???!!! Didn't I tell you that there are no such things as Reapers???!!! Can't you get that through your thick skulls????!!!!" the human commander shouted.

"But Boss ... It's true! The place is haunted! I ask for sack from Momot but Momot standing in front of me! But I got sack from the back!" Kertak insisted.

"This nonsense has gone on for too long! Bring me to the chamber and I will prove to you once and for all there are no Reapers!" the human commander shouted.

Once again ... the sorry bunch of bandits led the human and ogre stepped into the chamber.

"Okay ... so where's the sack that you got from ... the ghost???" the human commander scoffed.

"But Boss ... the sack was here just now!" the orc insisted.

"I don't see any sack! It must have been your freaking imagination! You dumb a**! Now gather all the treasure and go!" the human commander shouted.

The two orcs got down and began taking the gold and precious stones from the chest. The human commander and his ogre watched the two orcs with disdain.

"Pah! Reapers! What nonsense!" the human commander spoke to his ogre companion.

"Jojo agree! Stupid orc believe stupid story!" the ogre agreed.

Just as they had finished moving all the treasure into the large sacks they brought with them, Momot turned to call his boss and then he saw ... IT! The Horned Reaper grinned at him using two fingers to make bunny ears with them above the human commander's head. Momot was so frightened that he dropped his sack of loot to the ground instantly.

Just as he was about to run ... he heard a loud voice. It was the Boss.

"Be more careful! You thick skull! And where do you think you're going??!!!" the human commander shouted.

His dropped sack had caused the human commander to look in his direction.

"Boss! I-i-i-i-i-t's j-j-j-just b-b-b-behind y-y-y-y-you!" the orc shrieked nervously.

"What's behind me?" the human commander asked again.

"T-t-t-t-the R-R-R-R-Reaper! I-I-I-I-It's j-j-j-j-just b-b-b-b-behind y-y-y-you!" the orc shrieked while its feet began to back away from the chamber.

The human commander turned to the back to see ... nothing.

"There's nothing there! Your Reaper! My foot! Now get the sack up and go!" the human commander cursed as he turned back to the orc again.

"But Boss ... It's true! I saw it! It was there!" Momot insisted while looking wildly all around the chamber.

"You snivelling worm! Just get going!" the human commander barked an order.

"That's right! Jojo thinks that Momot is always seeing things! And Jojo thinks Momot is also a sissy!" the ogre agreed.

"Fine then!" the orc answered, obviously furious at the ogre's remarks.

He picked up his dropped sack and slugged it over his shoulder.

Just then, he turned to look at the commander to see the face of the grinning Reaper looking back at him before doing a slicing motion with its hand at its throat. All sense of courage fled him. The orc had enough. Without wasting anymore time, he dropped the sack and fled the chamber for all he was worth.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

And here's my addition to the Dungeon Keeper Craze. Dungeon Keeper Kasumi and Happosai will come later.

Date: 110408

Disclaimer: A SM/DK crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.

Synopsis: What if Beryl had never been sent to the Negaverse? What would have happened?

* * *

Dungeon Keeper Beryl

Part 2:

Beryl had always prided herself on her skills as an illusionist, even before joining the ranks of the Dark Wielders. From the day she was born till adulthood, she always had a knack for the art of illusions. She had worked hard at it and refined her illusionary skills to the point where they were good enough to fool even the mages working at the Royal Court in Atlantis. The predatory visage of the Horned Reaper was one of the rare applications of the craft that she took pride in before joining the ranks of the Dark Wielders ... rare in the sense that after she became a Dark Wielder herself, she rarely, if at all used illusions.

Why?

There was simply put, no cause for it.

The reason being that every single one of the Dark Wielders and to a lesser extent, their servants, were able to 'see' right through the illusion instantly though why it was the case ... nobody knew. One of the more popular theories floating among the Dark Wielders was that since they were so closely linked to the Dark that was the source of their power, their senses extended through the Dark itself in a way that nobody fully understood with the probable exception of the High King himself ... And the High King was not forthcoming with his answers.

The best explanation that they could come up with was that the Dark was more closely rooted to the 'real world' than humans or even demons were. More closely rooted in the sense that normal men perceived the real world only in a three-dimensional format through their five senses. Mages and psychics were able to perceive more the three-dimensional universe on the astral level as well as the physical level. Demons were probably able to perceive the three-dimensional universe on their 'demonic' level in addition to the astral and physical level.

The Dark in all likelihood surpassed all of that. For an illusion to be able to fool the senses of a Dark Wielder, it would have to be good enough to fool an entity as alien and far-reaching as the Dark itself. In other words, the illusion would have to be able to transcend all known dimensions of spacetime before it could even be possible to have a remote chance of fooling the Dark ... and since not all dimensions are known or could be perceived by any living being ... there was a little to no chance of that happening.

The Dark itself and its true motivations or desires if any existed, remained a mystery. It had not demanded a price in exchange for its 'gifts of power and knowledge' that much Beryl was certain nor had it communicated to them its desire for an exchange of goods or services in a way that was typical of any sentient being. In fact, it didn't even appear to have a basic desire for worshippers and sacrifices unlike demons and deities. What the Dark wanted or what its true intentions were continued to befuddle even the most intelligent minds within Kastuul.

What was worse, they had no idea if the power they received from the Dark would continue indefinitely or would come to a full stop one day due to the entity suddenly deciding to pull the plug on it. The best analogy that they had of the 'gifts' they had received was that those were not 'gifts' so much as they were 'byproducts' of another process ... perhaps some 'waste disposal' or 'bodily' function of the Dark if it even had one.

The High King was the first person to have ever come into contact and built a 'working relationship' with this mysterious entity. Granted his contact was not the first for demons and dragons had come into contact with 'it' but it was the first working one. Most creatures that came into contact with the strange incomprehensible entity ended up dead or went completely insane from the experience. The rest were simply put, never heard from again. As to why it didn't happen with the Dark Wielders was yet another mystery to be solved. Personally Beryl thought that humans didn't rate much on the Dark's radar and so they slid beneath its notice unlike the more powerful beings like demons and dragons that drew its 'attention'.

The only thing that she was sure of about the Dark itself was that even the ruling powers of Hades gave it a wide berth and that earned 'it' points in her record sheet since anything that could give demons pause rated a big plus in her books. Thus making another good reason to join the ranks of the Dark Wielders. But enough of the reminiscing.

Now ... What was she to do about those intruders and the currently immobilized Horned Reaper in her new base of power?

Well, she needed new minions, that much she was sure of. The orcs and ogre looked pretty strong and were no stranger to the use of weapons while the human made a natural leader. So how to get them to serve her? Minions that served from fear and terror were usually the first to bolt when things got rough or hit back when they thought they could get even. Mind control was another double-edged sword. Though dependence was assured, no one alive liked being a thrall in the least and once the control slipped they usually turned on their controller with a vengence.

Loyalty was a big issue here. None of her usual Doppelganger servants and Nightspawn soldiers whose loyalty she could count on were present. Though she could always bring them here if she could open a portal to the Nightlands. But opening a portal to the Nightlands could be a tricky issue since she had to do them without her fellow Dark Wielders finding out what she had done. The last thing she wanted was to alert any of her old enemies or even worse, draw the attention of the High King to her location since her falling out with her fellow Dark Wielders.

Beryl sighed softly. Seems like she would have to make do with the local talent here rather than bringing in her more dependable servants and soldiers from the past.

* * *

The Horned Reaper struggled in vain to free itself from the strange metallic prison that encompassed its entire body like a glove. The strange metal was already red hot with the heat that was coming from the creature as it blasted away with elemental fire at its metal prison.

Beryl watched the Reaper's antics dispassionately knowing it to be an exercise in futility unless the creature itself could teleport. Finally, she broke the silence.

"The substance that makes up your prison is as close to indestructible as it can get. No amount of physical force will ever cause the substance to give way once it has assumed a solid state," she said.

"How did you do it? I don't remember you casting any spells or using any of your Keeper powers," Lundar recalled.

"It is constructed of adamantium, a rare substance in the Silver Millenium."

TBC


End file.
